Exit interviews are interviews conducted with departing employees, just before they leave. Employees who voluntarily leave the organisation are sources of valuable information who can provide honest feedback and will help identify your organisations weaknesses. The primary aim of the exit interview is to learn reasons for the person’s departure, on the basis that criticism is a helpful driver for organizational improvement.

Exit interviews are also an opportunity for the organization to enable transfer of knowledge and experience from the departing employee to a successor or replacement.

Exit interviews should be:

StructuredTimelyActionable andEngaging

Exit interview questions should be reviewed periodically, be soul searching, well rounded and insightful.

Make sure you select the right interviewer. The exit interviewer should not be the persons immediate manager and should be perceived by the departing employee as a person of integrity who will take the employee’s input seriously and maintain confidentiality.

In terms of managing the interview, listen rather than talk. The interviewer should be 90% listening, 10% talking. Remember to keep calm and resist the urge to defend or argue.

Participation in exit interviews by the employee leaving is voluntary. Do not compel departing employees to attend exit interviews.

Use these exit interview questions to establish a clear understanding of a staff members reasons for leaving the organisation, as well as identifying areas for business improvement. This exit interview document contains a two page set of questions that are useful to ask staff that decide to leave. The document can be downloaded by using the link at the bottom of the page and then right clicking and selecting “save as”.